Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-10
ELIZA.
IAN tho Year Round.l
CHAPTER /.

"Do cover up that canary, Clara.
My head is throbbing with the noise 1t
makes"
"Cover il up yourself, il is your
ovn--thoueh it would be hard 10 tell
why you keep it--a nasty, shrieking
creature.
Jessie Danver rose in pet and flung
n wool anti macasssr over the offending
sonos,er. and then she flounced back
TO her chiniz-covered arm chair, her
muslin draperies rustlng in her in
dignaiion.
The sisters were cross from a multi
tude of trihing causes. The day was
one Of the hottest of the dog days, and
their windows caught all the glare from
the street glare which penetrated to
every recess Of their drawing-room de-
spite the drawn blinds, and showed mp
oil the fiimsincss and impcrfectionS of
the various little accessories, which, IN
certain lights. were picturesque and
graceful. Then Mr.. Amherst was
coming 10 dine with them, and this,
which in ordinary circumstances would
have been n great pleasure to them,
was rendered positive pain 10y the fact
that Aunt Eliza would bc there to meet
him.
Aunt Eliza was so drcadiul-she
would he sure to spoil everything and
vet. circumstanced as they were, they
could not afford to offend her.
Neither of the girls would have con
sented to define. even TO herself, the
vague thing which Aunt Eliza was ex-
pected to spoil but they were quite
willing to admit, even TO each other,
that Mr.. Amherst was much the incest
of oil their male friends, and that he
would he certain to think less Of them
when he bad met their formidable rela-
tive.
Aunt Elias annual visit TO her
nieces and their mother in town was
always Of a fortnights duration, neither
more nor less. and it was quite do
nestle calamity that Mrs Danver had
forgotten that her sister-in-law was in
the house, and had asked Mr.. Amherst
to dinner when he called.
In their own hearts both the girls
said that it was Every like mother to
fall into some inadvertence. but when
the invitation was given and accepted
they had the grace not to reproach
her; the thing was inevitable, and they
must make the best OF It,
"If we could only get Aunt Eliza to
GO awGy somewhere for the day"
Clara suggested, though not very hope
fully.
1--WE could not send her alone, but,
hesitsting, "why could you not take
her somewhere for good long excur-
sion-say to Brighton, Or"
cor TO the moon, Clara replied
disdainfully. 81 wonder what Mr..
Amherst would think if he found he
WAS to dine alone with You and
mother
q don't know that your presence
will make such material difference. "
"Of course not; of course 1t Is only
your presence that matters to any one,
Clara answered, flushing, more because
she felt she had been insulted than be
cause size arrogatcd to herself any
rights in the person in question.
"My presence does not matter
either" Jessie said with little need
less bitterness. u suppose W are Old
enough and experienced enough now
10 know that man can be civil without
being impressed. Tor my part l am
sick of interpreting smiles and hand
shakes"
"Thon il we are of nOcOnseqTencet
him. why should we care about his
meeting Aunt Eliza ? "
because We are snams; but We
would rather not be detected shams.
MIR. Amherst is gentleman, and he
imaginos we are ladies, as the women
of our family were generation ago;
and then to think Of all Aunt Eliza
will tell him :" This with n groan.
"Perhaps he won't mind.
81 know he won't mind but | shall
mind, oh, through every nerve OF my
body. 10 think OF father, an officer
and Uncle Hugh, barristor and I'm
Gle Luke, clergyman all gentlemen
and then Aunt Eliza "
but Aunt Eliza could not he a gen
tleman," Clara answered with some
faint consciousness Of a humorous pos
sibility in her observation. And, al
ter all, she is the rich one of the lot,
and the only one among all our kin
dred that has ever given us new bon
net or a iive-ponnd note.
eyes, ] know all that, and | don't
mean to of nd her, not for twenty Mr..
Amborsts. hut { would give all the
presents size has ever given me if only
something would take her home before
Tuesday
THAT is Lot at all likely
ono, unfortunately
"Anditis quite possible Mr.. Amherst
nav not think her as bad rs We DO.
You know she is handsome, and she
always dresses well, and
"Gut She talks; oh, how she does
talk MY visitors, my accommodA-
ton, my table d'h6te.' think / hear
her, and feel myself tinsiing all over
III anticipation
"But if We are of no particular in
terest TO Mr.. Amherst, why in thcworld
should we care - Clara asked, with
out being quite sure whether she meant
TO soothc or az iaya!c farther.
Now the fact was that, in the most
e,cr,t rec,ssCs Of her hcart, Jessie Wa
not 80 sure a. she asserted that one OF
them was not possessed Of certain
likablc qualities in the eyes Of the gen
man in question. but the girl WIS
proud as well as shrewd, and, though
She M ht he quick enough in obSerya-
tien. She was sufficiently sensible to keep
her discoveries to herself To have led
any one e. believe, or even to have
distinctly told herself, that she had
expectations in the case of one likely
to look and ride away, would have
been unbearable. In confidential mo-
ments she might have been ready
enough TO admit that, like other pen
niless women, she looked forward to
an advantageous marriage rs the best
settlement in life; nevertheless, no
man had ever been able to hold jessie
Danver cheep or to imagine that she
had hailed his advances in any un-
womsnly way.
That Mr.. Amherst, q rich, well-con-
nected, goodlooking man OF forty,
should be interested in Jessie Dauver,
a handsome, clever, self-reliant girl Of
five-aud-tw twenty, was a very obvious